Historical

Please note that some of the pictures on this page are from varying time periods, from the Middle Ages, Renaissance on to pre-raphaelite etc. and are artists own renditions while some are from actual texts of the time period.

The Basic garb of Ladies of the Medieval time period (about 300 - 1500A.D.) consisted
of kirtles, surcoats, sideless surcoats, pelises, houppelandes, bliauts,
cotehardies or cotes, t-tunics, cloaks (mantles) and a variety of sleeve variations.

In the early middle ages (10-12thc.) t-tunics, bliauts or bliauds
were worn.These dresses were worn over chemises. The pelises
was worn mainly for warmth and developed into the sidless
surcoat. Sleeves varried as well as necklines but sleeves often
extended past the finger tips. Surcoats were worn by royalty,
they seem to have gotten the idea from the Chinese. Cloaks
were worn by the upper class. Women always covered their
heads with wimples or some other kind of veil. They wore
circlets (denoting royalty the same way as a crown) made from
either braded fabric or some kind of metal.

Then came the kirtle as a all-class undergarment, cotehardie, and sideless surcoat
(13th-14thc.). The time frame for the cote or cotehardie
varries, but it started around the mid 1300's. The clothes of this time were loose in the bodice area and
skirts made use of gores. The kirtle is a tight fitted underdress
with tight sleeves which lace or button up. The cotehardie is similar
to a kirtle but the sleeves on it are of varying lengths and
are typically deccorated with tippets. The sidless surcoat
has deep armholes which eventually become so long that
they extended past the hips revealing the underdress and
belt worn over the underdress. They were considered
scandalous and the church dubbed them "the gates of hell".

And finally came the houppelades and Burgundian fashion
(14th-15thc.). The houppelade was a ful skirted dress with
different necklines, and often had collars. The sleeves were
long and full with decorated edges of dags and scallops. The
Burgundian was a dress with a full skirt and a "V" neckline
with a kirtle underneath which showed in the open "v". The
sleeves were usually tight from the shoulder to the elbow and
then flared, but some were tight all the way to the end. The
sleeves for most dresses extend past the wrist. Fur was a
common trim on these dresses.

These wonderful pictures above are the designs of Anuska,
please check out their great website!
Burgundian Dress
Fabrics of the time were limited to wool, linen, silk, and velvet.
Wool was most common for the peasant class to middle class.
Fine wools were reserved for the upper class as well as velvets and
silks both of which come from the far east. Linen was worn by all
classes, although the upper class generally used linen only for
undergarments. Silk was more readily available in the early middle
ages.
The cut of medieval clothes were generally geometric shapes. The skirts were pleated in not gathered due to the width of the skirts wich would add bulk if gathered; remember trains were highly fashionable through most of the middle ages.
Here are some links to pattern resources and articles concerning medieval clothing:

Cynthia Virtue

Early Medieval and Italian Clothing

Medieval Patterns

Medieval Patterns (more)

Clothing pictures (French site but easily navigable)

Medieval clothes patterns

Medieval dress pattern

Medieval patterns

Medieval clothing links

Medieval Clothing info

The Costumer's Manifesto

(the end-all be-all of historical costuming resources)

Here are some more pictures of the Medieval dress and artist's renditions: